Continuous conveyer



,Aug. 8, 1939. A. FY wHlTE- v y Re. 21,172'

CONTINUOUS CONVEYER original Filed April 22, 1958 vCL. F. wke,

'NTTY Ressued ug. 8, 1939 UNITED -STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS CONVEYER y Albert F. White, Toronto, Ontario, Canada original No. 2,138,671, dated November 29, 193s, Serial No. 203,492, April 22, 1938. Application for reissue May 24, 1939, Serial No. 275,550

14 claims. '(ol. 19a-16s) tion of the conveyer casing are employed and are rigidly secured to the links ofthe conveyer chain at right angles thereto. When such conveyers 1o are used with the rising leg at or near the vertical,

trouble is often experienced in completely clearing the flights of their load when they arrive at the discharge opening of the rising leg.

So also when warping or bending of part of the 15 casing occurs in the plane of the chain carrying sprocket, extra friction is created between the flights and casing since the chain tends to move in a straight line to the driving sprocket while the flights must follow the bends of the casing.

The discharging trouble may be overcome in part at least by inclining the flights from back to front with reference to the rising leg as in my prior United States Patent No. 2,066,866, dated January 5, 1937, but the second trouble will remain.

My object therefore is to devise a continuous flow conveyer -which will overcome both the troubles referred to Without material increase in the cost of the apparatus.

I attain my object by means of constructions which may be briefly described as follows. The conveyer casing is formed with a substantially 'entirely closed rising leg and a bottom loop and has an inlet to the loop and a front outlet in the rising leg. In the casing there is movably mounted -a conveyer element comprising an endless chain having substantially nat nights hung therefrom by means of short hangers which are fixed to the ilights and are pivotally secured to the chain. Just above the outlet is positioned a sprocket wheel carrying the chain and having its teeth pitched apart to cooperate with the chain links and so that each successive ilight as of the sprocket and is tilted to spill any material remaining thereon after the flight has passed the outlet.

'I'he invention is hereinafter more fully described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section,of my improved elevator;

Fig. 2 a frontvelevation of the same, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 a side elevation of part. of a bent rising bottom loop 2.

it reaches thel sprocket wheel is caught by a tooth leg, showing the adaptation of the conveyerflights' thereto;

Fig. 4 a detail in front elevation of a link and connected flight;

Fig. 5 a plan View of the same parts; and

Fig. 6 a side view of the same parts.

In the drawing like numerals of reference ind- -cate corresponding parts in the diierent gures.

The apparatus comprises a conveyer casing and a conveyer element operating therein. The casing may be of any ordinary construction and will usually be rectangular in cross section. While the shape of the casing may vary in the arrangement of its parts, it is shown as comprising a rising leg lI and a descending leg I connected at the top by the top loop 3 and at the bottom by the The bottom loop 2 is formed with the inlet 5, while at the upper end of the'rising leg I is located the outlet or discharge 6. The rising leg I of the conveyer casing is shown as vertical, but it will be understood that it may lie at different angles to the horizontal plane and still fall within the scope of my invention.

Within the upper loop is positioned the sprocket wheel I by means of which the elevator elements will usually be driven. It will not usually be nec essary to locate a sprocket wheel at 'the lower loop.

The conveyer or draft element or mechanism comprises an endless chain mounted to move longitudinally of the casing and to be driven by the sprocket wheel l1 and flights carried by the chain.v

The chain is formed of the rigid links 8 Which are preferably arranged as follows.y Each link is shown as formed with a double hinge knuckle at its upper end and a single hinge knuckle or eye at its lower end, the links being pivotally connected by the pins I5. Integral with the lower end or single knuckle of each link is a short arm VII which extends towards the forward side of the chain having reference to its position in the rising leg. -Pivotally connected with each short arm Il is the short hanger I2, the lower end of which'is secured to a ight I3, preferably as near the centre of the same as possible. Each flight, it will be noted, has la gap cut in its rear side to pass on either side of the links 8 of the conveyer chain. However, it approximately lls the cross section of the rising leg I. ,That is, grain or other bulk material will not form a continuous material-mass or column in said leg I, but said material will be segregated between successive ights I3.

As will be seen von reference to Fig. 2, the

sprocket wheel 1 is double and therebetween pass the links 8, the double knuckles I0 of the links engaging the teeth of each partof the sprocket.

It will be noted particularly on reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing that the rear sides of the nights are so positioned and the teeth of the sprocket wheel are of such a length that, when a nightreaches a position just above the outlet E, the rear edge of a flight catches on one of the teeth of the sprocket. wheel, as shown, which tilts the night so as to dump any material remaining thereon after the main load has passed oif by gravity d'own the outlet 6. Perfect discharge of the load is thus obtained when the rising leg-'is in a vertical position, as shown, and also, of course, in any angular position intermediate, the vertical and horizontal. l

Another advantage of the 'freely suspende nights is shown in. Fig. 3 in which the casing is shown bent in a direction from back to front.

While the chain under the strain to which it is subjected tends to travel in a direct line and carry the nights with it, the latter being freely hung can swing to thus avoid extra heavy friction against the convex sides of the interior of the casing, as provided by the depth of the gap or opening in each night I3 through which a link 8 passes. That. is, each such gap or opening is of such depth and of such size that it is larger than the cross-sectional area of the chain 8 whereby each night I3 can freely swing or pivot relative to the chain while approximately nlling the cross section of the casing as the chain moves toward and from the walls of said casing in passing therethrough.

vIt must be understood, however, that various modifications of the invention might readily be devised using the same principle whichv is the suspension of the flights by means of rigid arms from the links of the conveyer chain.

. What I claim as my invention ist' 1. A continuous flow elevator comprising a casing including a substantially entirely enclosed rising 'leg having an inlet and an outlet above the inlet, and a conveyer element comprising an endless chain mounted to move longitudinally of the casing, a plurality of conveyer `nights each closely confined on all sides by the rising leg and guided thereby, and hangers rigidly secured to the nights and pivotally connected to the chain, each of saidnights hanging free to swing relative to said chain while passing through said guided means is provided to tilt the successive nights adjacent the outlet.

3. A continuous flow elevator comprising a casing including a substantially entirely enclosed rising leg having an inlet and an outlet above the inlet; and a conveyer element comprising an endless chain mounted to move longitudinally. of the casing, and formedof rigid pivotally connected links, a plurality of short arms rigidly connected to the said links vand extending for- Wardly having reference to the rising leg of the elevator, a plurality of conveyor nights each closely confined on all sides by the rising leg and guided thereby, and hangers each rigidly secured to a night and pivoted to the free end of one of the short arms, each of said nights hanging free to swing relative to said chain while passing cross section, endless draft mechanism extending through said rising leg while each is connned an v guided thereby as' aforesaid.

4. A continuous now elevator comprising a cas-- ing including'a substantially entirely enclosed rising leg having an inlet and an outlet above the inlet, and a conveyer element comprising an endlessl chain mounted to move longitudinally of the casing and formed oi rigid pivotally connected links,.a plurality of short arms one rigidly connected to-each of said links at one end'thereof and extending forwardly having reference to the rising leg of the elevator, a plurality of conveyer nights each closely confined on all sides' by the rising leg and guided thereby, and hangers each rigidly secured to a flight and pivoted to the free end of one of the short arms, each of said nights hanging free to swing relative to said chain while passing through said rising leg while each is connned and guided thereby as aforesaid.

5. An elevator according to claim 4 in which means is provided to tilt the successive flights adjacent the outlet.

6. An elevator according to claim 1 in which a sprocket wheel is provided above the outlet and with which the chain meshes, the ends `of the teeth of the sprocket Wheel extending to a posi- `tion in which they engage the rear sides of sucsive nights to tilt them as they reach the sprocket wheel. J

7. An elevator according to claim 4 in which a sprocket wheel is provided above the outlet and with which the chain meshes, the ends of the teeth of the sprocket wheel extending to a position in which they engage the rear sides of successive nights to tilt them as theyreach the sprocket wheel.

8. A conveyer for transporting bulk material, comprising a substantially entirely enclosing conveyer casing disposed in a desired circuit having relatively continuous side walls along which the material being transported moves and.pro-

vided with inlet and discharge openings, and a.

chain conveyer mechanism operating in said casing, said chain conveyer mechanism comprising an endless chain having trailing nights pivotally attached thereto, said nights approximately nlling the cross section of the casing betweenthe inlet and discharge. openings and having openings larger'than the chain cross-sectional area to provide for pivotal movement thereof relative to such chain while conveying material between said inlet and discharge openings.

9. A conveyer for transporting bulk material, comprising a substantially entirely enclosing conveyer casing disposed in a desired circuit having relatively continuous side walls along which the material being transported moves and provided with inlet and discharge openings, and a chain conveyer mechanism operating in said casing,

said chain conveyer mechanism comprising an' endless chain having trailing nights pivotally attachedthereto, said nights being so constructed that the peripheries. thereof have a relatively close nt with said casing between said inlet and discharge openings so the path of ,said nights is determined by the contour of said casing between said openings and having openings larger than the chain cross-sectional area to provide for pivotal movement. thereof relative to said chain` While conveying material betweensaid inlet and discharge openings.

10. A conveyer for granular material comprising a casing having inlet and discharge openings between which is a substantially entirely enclosing working leg of Substantially uniform area of through said leg, and trailing nights pivoted to said endless draft mechanism, 4said night being guided in all lateral directions with respect to the axis of said working leg by relatively close positioning with the adjacent casing wall in said working leg, said nights including means constructed and arranged to provide for their pivotal movement relative to said endless draft mechanism while moving through said working leg. f

11. A conveyer comprising a casing providing a substantially entirely enclosing working leg between inlet and discharge openings, said leg being bent between said openings, endless draft mechanism extending through said working leg, nights having peripheries adjacent said leg walls and confined against lateral movement relative thereto by said leg walls, vand means pivotaiiy attaching said nights to said draft mechanism the point of pivotal connection being ahead of said nights in the direction of normal movement of said draft mechanism, said nights having openings through which the draft mechanism loosely passes to yprovide for lateral movement thereof relative to said draft mechanism within said working leg.

l2. A conveyer mechanism comprising a casing providing al substantially entirely enclosing working leg between inlet and discharge openings, said ieg being bent between said openings,

. endless draft mechanism extending through said working leg, nights having peripheries adjacent said leg walls and connned against lateral movement relative thereto by said leg walls, and

means pivotally attaching said nights to said draft mechanism in trailing relation relative thereto, said nights being slotted to receive the draft mechanism loosely thereby to provide for lateral movement thereof relative to said draft mechanism within said working ieg.

13. A conveyer mechanism comprising a substantially entirely enclosing casing of irregular contour at least one portion of which is disposed at an angle to the horizontal, said casing having inlet and outlet openings, a conveyer element adapted to be moved in an endless path and within the casing, and material carrying trailing nights pivotally connected to said conveyer eiement and having Aopenings for freely receiving said conveyer element thereby providing for movement relative thereto while conveying ma.- teriai between said openings, said nights being connned against lateral movement relativeto said casing.

14. A conveyer mechanism comprising a substantially continuous wall enclosing casing of irregular contour, openings in said casing for feeding and discharging material, a conveyer element adapted to be moved in an endless path and within the casing, material carrying trailing nights pivotally connected to said conveyer element and having openings therein through which said conveyer element freely passes, and means in close proximity to said discharge opening adapted to tilt said nights for discharging their load.

ALBERT l". WHITE. 

